Misunderstood Role Of Art In Education

Numerous life lessons can be taught through artistic methods. For example, according to Elliot Eisner, there are many contributions that are derived directly from the arts. Eisner's first point in his article, "The Misunderstood Role of the Arts in Human Development," states that "not all problems have single, correct answers" (Eisner). Art is close to the only classroom in which teachers follow this. For math, spelling, writing, etc., students are taught that only one answer is correct, and that a wrong answer will receive no credit. Within the walls of an art classroom, students have the ability to grasp the fact that solutions to problems can take many forms. This way, their imaginations can actually be put to use, and students are …show more content…
Many people do not see the significance of implementing Fine Arts programs in the basic school curriculum. For example, a school district in Sarasota County, Florida went as far as to eliminate their Fine Arts coordinator completely for as long as seven years (Stankiewicz). Art was not recognized as indispensable to a child's well-being and thus was removed without a second thought (Stankiewicz). Sarasota County demonstrates an extensive lack of political support, making it almost effortless for the board to eliminate the Fine Arts programs within their school systems (Stankiewicz). With an increased amount of support and some dedication, it would be much more difficult to rid schools of Fine Arts programs, but no one chooses to speak up. The role of arts in human development is misunderstood, and a school in which the arts are overlooked will not provide enough chances for children to use art in their own personal growth (Eisner). Often people believe adding focus to these classes will divert focus from others deemed more important, such as math, science, English, etc. Where there is some truth behind this, there is no solid argument. Keeping students in at least one extra-curricular would, at most, require an hour per school day. The majority of students take an hour study hall or an hour in a skills lab each day because that is their choice when choosing how to spend their free hour. For …show more content…
Not only aiding in self-expression and as a means of escape, the arts also teach decision making skills, perseverance, and creativity. Students who willingly participate in any of the Fine Arts programs will agree that their program accomplishes all of the above tasks while simultaneously boosting confidence levels. The Fine Arts programs are imperative and should be protected for not only the sake of the currently-affected children, but also for the sake of the developing society. If art is not crucial in a child's imaginative development, why are classroom walls filled with pictures of shapes, colors, and scenes that teach them? If music is as unimportant as it is viewed, how would ninety-percent of people recall the alphabet? And if none of our current, beloved celebrities, musicians, etc. had access to strengthen their talents as children, what would we do now for entertainment? We would be limited to finding our own ways to entertain ourselves, most likely by taking a hobby, where the vast majority of choices stem from an art